Doctor says woman's sores were result of neglect

Potentially fatal bedsores found on an elderly Geneva woman shortly before her death in 2007 were the result of at least three weeks of neglect, an expert medical witness testified Friday.

Dr. Madhuri Reddy, a specialist in geriatric medicine and chronic wounds, said one of the sores on 84-year-old Mary Virginia Barry's back was so severely infected it may have been ignored for months.

"It was not a dignified death, and it certainly sounds like a painful way to die," she said.

Reddy testified in the criminal neglect trial of Barry's daughters, Jill and Julie Barry, ages 55 and 48, in Kane County Circuit Court. The sisters each could be sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted.

Mary Virginia Barry died in April 2007 a week after paramedics were called to the family residence on the 400 block of Peyton Street to find her soiled, dehydrated and malnourished.

State's Attorney John Barsanti, who is prosecuting the case, is trying to prove the defendants, who acted as caregivers, failed to provide reasonable care to maintain her life.

Barsanti also called Mary Virginia Barry's primary physician, Dr. Karan Catching of St. Charles, to testify Friday. Catching said she advised Jill Barry to consider in-home nursing services as her mother's condition worsened after a stroke, but no one ever followed up with her office.

Catching said the elderly woman suffered from dementia and was "not willing to leave the house."

On further questioning from defense attorney Gary Johnson, Catching testified that the sisters told her their mother was too frail to move, and they worried the stress of taking her somewhere for treatment would set off a stroke or heart attack.

"Did they appear to care for their mother?" Johnson asked.

"Yes," Catching said.

At the defense's request, Catching also testified about the mental health of both Jill and Julie Barry. She said they were being treated for depression, and each told her they suffered symptoms such as crying spells and feelings of loss.

Catching said Julie Barry experienced "avoidance behavior," where responsibility is avoided due to depression.

The bench trial before Judge Allen M. Anderson continues May 4.

Painful: Doctor addresses daughters' mental health